Tourism CEO’S key messages

To visitors:

“The Gold Coast is Australia’s favorite playground, in every way, shape and form. People can connect here, they can create memories here. It is surrounded by not just beautiful natural assets, but also amazing built infrastructure. You can wake up and watch the sunrise over 52km of beach, you can paddleboard on our waterways – more waterways than Venice – which we’re very proud of; you can then be at a world-class art gallery having lunch, before watching the sunset over our ancient rainforest and the hinterland. All within an hour’s radius. That is very special and unique to the Gold Coast. People are discovering this and wanting to live here. The strategy of supporting tourism, but also diversifying into other industries, will put us in good stead to attract people from all walks of lives into the future.”

To event organisers, sports, entertainment and film producers:

“We have the best built infrastructure and at the same time, you’re going to have a really memorable experience. This is the destination of choice. Not only do we have world-class sporting and events facilities, we are also surrounded by some of Australia’s most iconic landscapes. You’re going to get the best of both worlds. We’re seeing business events at the moment. This is where imagination and creativity is fostered. It is the imagination capital. You can bring that entrepreneurship, that creativity, but you can have a really serious event as well. I look at Baz Luhrmann and what he’s done producing Elvis. Unbelievable testimonials he and his team have. We’ve had amazing blockbuster movies filmed here. They don’t just produce a film – it produces global ambassadors that just love the city and there’s a reason why: it’s very special.”